ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

So who had a fast start to preseason practices? Who's taken a leadership role? Who deserves notice for a fine effort?

We present: Preseason Pac-10 Players of the Week. These are based on reports from program insiders and news reports.

Arizona
Defensive end Brooks Reed. Reed, already a workout warrior, was a sack machine in practices, making life hard for Matt Scott and Nick Foles as the compete for the starting job.

Arizona State
Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy. The word to describe Guy, who is a rock-solid 293 pounds, so far is "unblockable." How unblockable? Try five sacks a day.

California
Freshman receiver Isi Sofele has been making big plays seemingly every day in Berkeley. And he's quite a dancer.

Oregon
Running back LaMichael James. To pull a quote from Rob Moseley's blog: "Not surprisingly, the player who continues to most consistently draw the most "oohs" and "aahs" from players and fans is LaMichael James." The speedy James is the likely "lightning" component to the Ducks backfield beside thunderous LeGarrette Blount. 

Hey, it's the "ooh Le La backfield."

Oregon State
Senior defensive end Ben Terry. He's got a lot on his shoulders replacing Victor Butler, one of the best ends in school history. But word is Terry appears comfortable with his enhanced role and is not that far off Butler's quickness.

Stanford
Defensive end Erik Lorig. Lorig is the leader of a sneaky-good Stanford defensive line.

UCLA
Defensive tackle Brian Price. It's nice when perhaps your best player sets an example by busting his butt every play. And by making things tough on an offensive line that needs to get tougher.

USC
Quarterback Matt Barkley. He's positioned to win the marquee position in the nation -- Trojans starting quarterback -- as a true true freshman and he's handled himself with poise that belies his age. He's also got freaky talent. 

Washington
Freshman receiver James Johnson. Wrote Bob Condotta, "Wednesday, the best player on offense for the Huskies might have been one of the 10 active scholarship true freshmen on the roster, receiver James Johnson... Johnson caught three TD passes during team drills, one a highlight reel-worthy, one-handed grab in traffic of a pass from Jake Locker."

Washington State
Senior center Kenny Alfred. Alfred is the Cougars undisputed leader, both as a vocal presence and as a work ethic role model. He plays hard every play. Honorable mention goes to receiver Jeshua Anderson, who's showcased vastly improved receiving skills to augment his world class speed.